Improvement in furniture-casters



r T. S. SMITH. Furniture Easter.

No. 201,842. Patented March 26,1878..

96665 v g yw I 1747mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS S. SMITH, OF FAIR HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD HISRIGHT TO WILLIAM H. MOORE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNlTURE-CASTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,842, dated March26, 1878; application filed February 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. SMITH, of Fair Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Ball Casters for Furniture and other purposes; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective View, and Fig, 2 is a vertical section.I

Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has reference to certain improvements in anti-friction ballcasters, such as are used for heavy furniture, safes, &c.; anditconsists in the novel combination of the body-plate, having bracketsprovided with notches orbearings for the axles of the frictionrollers,with the ball and a ring for retaining the same, the latter beingprovided with lugs or braces for attachment to the body-plate, all ashereinafter more fully described and claimed.

I shall now proceed more fully to describe my devices with reference tothe drawings hereto annexed, in which-- A is the upper ring or body ofthe caster, having three or more downward-projecting brackets, B B,provided with notches a a, which form bearings for the axles of thefriction-rollers. O is the lower ring, for retaining the ball D inposition. It is provided with upwardly-projecting braces or lugs 12 b,by which it is screwed or otherwise secured to the under side of thering A. c 0 are the axles of the friction-rollers, which revolve in thebearings provided for them in the brackets B. Each axle has a roller, d,which is solid upon the axle, with which it may be formed in one piece.

From the foregoing description the operation and advantages of myinventionwill be readily understood. The friction-rollers are easilyadjusted in their bearings, from which they are prevented from comingout accidentally by the ball D, which, as before stated, is retained inposition by the lower ring Q. The caster is attached to the furniture byscrews S S, which may, when desired, serve the double purpose of alsosecuring the lower ring 0 to the body A.

I am aware that the combination of the ball with the friction wheels orrollers is not new, broadly; nor do I broadly claim the arrangement ofthe ball within the retaining-ring, or the parts of my device separatelyconsidered; but,

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States I As an improvement in ball castersfor furniture, &c., the body A, having brackets 13 B, provided withbearings a a, ball D, retainingring 0, having lugs or braces b b, andaxles c 0, having rollers 01 d, all combined and operating substantiallyas described, for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence'of two witnesses.

THOMAS s. SMITH.

Witnesses:

FRANK A. Moonn, EUGENE H. SMITH,

